In this chapter, I. Job reflects upon the harsh
censures which his friends had passed upon him, and looking upon
himself as a dying man (ver.
1), he appeals to God, and begs of him speedily to
appear for him, and right him, because they had wronged him, and he
knew not how to right himself, ver.
2-7. But he hopes that, though it should be a surprise,
it will be no stumbling-block, to good people, to see him thus
abused, ver. 8, 9. II. He
reflects upon the vain hopes they had fed him with, that he should
yet see good days, showing that his days were just at an end, and
with his body all his hopes would be buried in the dust, ver. 10-16. His friends becoming
strange to him, which greatly grieved him, he makes death and the
grave familiar to him, which yielded him some comfort.

1 My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the
graves are ready for me. 2 Are there not
mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their
provocation? 3 Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee;
who is he that will strike hands with me? 4
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt
thou not exalt them. 5 He that speaketh flattery to
his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.
6 He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime
I was as a tabret. 7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of
sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow. 8 Upright
men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir
up himself against the hypocrite. 9 The righteous also shall
hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and
stronger.

Job's discourse is here somewhat broken and
interrupted, and he passes suddenly from one thing to another, as
is usual with men in trouble; but we may reduce what is here said
to three heads:—

I. The deplorable condition which poor Job
was now in, which he describes, to aggravate the great unkindness
of his friends to him and to justify his own complaints. Let us see
what his case was.

1. He was a dying man, v. 1. He had said (ch. xvi. 22), "When a few years
have come, I shall go that long journey." But here he corrects
himself. "Why do I talk of years to come? Alas! I am just setting
out on that journey, am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand. My breath is already corrupt, or
broken off; my spirits are spent; I am a gone man." It is good for
every one of us thus to look upon ourselves as dying, and
especially to think of it when we are sick. We are dying, that is,
(1.) Our life is going; for the breath of life is going. It is
continually going forth; it is in our nostrils (Isa. ii. 22), the door at which it
entered (Gen. ii. 7); there
it is upon the threshold, ready to depart. Perhaps Job's distemper
obstructed his breathing, and short breath will, after a while, be
no breath. Let the Anointed of the Lord be the breath of our
nostrils, and let us get spiritual life breathed into us, and
that breath will never be corrupted. (2.) Our time is ending: My
days are extinct, are put out, as a candle which, from the
first lighting, is continually wasting and burning down, and will
by degrees burn out of itself, but may by a thousand accidents be
extinguished. Such is life. It concerns us therefore carefully to
redeem the days of time, and to spend them in getting ready for the
days of eternity, which will never be extinct. (3.) We are expected
in our long home: The graves are ready for me. But would not
one grave serve? Yes, but he speaks of the sepulchres of his
fathers, to which he must be gathered: "The graves where they
are laid are ready for me also," graves in consort, the
congregation of the dead. Wherever we go there is but a step
between us and the grave. Whatever is unready, that is ready; it is
a bed soon made. If the graves be ready for us, it concerns us to
be ready for the graves. The graves for me (so it runs),
denoting not only his expectation of death, but his desire of it.
"I have done with the world, and have nothing now to wish for but a
grave."

2. He was a despised man (v. 6): "He" (that is,
Eliphaz, so some, or rather God, whom he all along acknowledges to
be the author of his calamities) "has made me a byword of the
people, the talk of the country, a laughing-stock to many, a
gazing-stock to all; and aforetime (or to men's faces,
publicly) I was as a tabret, that whoever chose might play
upon." They made ballads of him; his name became a proverb; it is
so still, As poor as Job. "He has now made me a
byword," a reproach of men, whereas, aforetime, in my
prosperity, I was as a tabret, delicić humani generis—the
darling of the human race, whom they were all pleased with. It
is common for those who were honoured in their wealth to be
despised in their poverty.

3. He was a man of sorrows, v. 7. He wept so much that he
had almost lost his sight: My eye is dim by reason of
sorrow, ch. xvi.
16. The sorrow of the world thus works darkness and
death. He grieved so much that he had fretted all the flesh away
and become a perfect skeleton, nothing but skin and bones: "All
my members are as a shadow. I have become so poor and thin that
I am not to be called a man, but the shadow of a man."

II. The ill use which his friends made of
his miseries. They trampled upon him, and insulted over him, and
condemned him as a hypocrite, because he was thus grievously
afflicted. Hard usage! Now observe,

1. How Job describes it, and what
construction he puts upon their discourses with him. He looks upon
himself as basely abused by them. (1.) They abused him with their
foul censures, condemning him as a bad man, justly reduced thus and
exposed to contempt, v.
2. "They are mockers, who deride my calamities,
and insult over me, because I am thus brought low. They are so
with me, abusing me to my face, pretending friendship in their
visit, but intending mischief. I cannot get clear of them; they are
continually tearing me, and they will not be wrought upon, either
by reason or pity, to let fall the prosecution." (2.) They abused
him too with their fair promises, for in them they did but banter
him. He reckons them (v.
5) among those that speak flattery to their friends.
They all came to mourn with him. Eliphaz began with a commendation
of him, ch. iv. 3.
They had all promised him that he would be happy if he would take
their advice. Now all this he looked upon as flattery, and as
designed to vex him so much the more. All this he calls their
provocation, v.
2. They did what they could to provoke him and then
condemned him for his resentment of it; but he thinks himself
excusable when his eye continued thus in their
provocation: it never ceased, and he never could look off it.
Note, The unkindness of those that trample upon their friends in
affliction, that banter and abuse them then, is enough to try, if
not to tire, the patience even of Job himself.

2. How he condemns it. (1.) It was a sign
that God had hidden their heart from understanding
(v. 4), and that in
this matter they were infatuated, and their wonted wisdom had
departed from them. Wisdom is a gift of God, which he grants to
some and withholds from others, grants at some times and withholds
at other times. Those that are void of compassion are so far void
of understanding. Where there is not the tenderness of a man one
may question whether there be the understanding of a man. (2.) It
would be a lasting reproach and diminution to them: Therefore
shalt thou not exalt them. Those are certainly kept back from
honour whose hearts are hidden from understanding. When God
infatuates men he will abase them. Surely those who discover so
little acquaintance with the methods of Providence shall not have
the honour of deciding this controversy! That is reserved for a man
of better sense and better temper, such a one as Elihu afterwards
appeared to be. (3.) It would entail a curse upon their families.
He that thus violates the sacred laws of friendship forfeits the
benefit of it, not only for himself, but for his posterity:
"Even the eyes of his children shall fail, and, when they
look for succour and comfort from their own and their father's
friends, they shall look in vain as I have done, and be as much
disappointed as I am in you." Note, Those that wrong their
neighbours may thereby, in the end, wrong their own children more
than they are aware of.

3. How he appeals from them to God
(v. 3): Lay down
now, put me in a surety with thee, that is, "Let me be assured
that God will take the hearing and determining of the cause into
his own hands, and I desire no more. Let some one engage for God to
bring on this matter." Thus those whose hearts condemn them not
have confidence towards God, and can with humble and believing
boldness beg of him to search and try them. Some make Job here to
glance at the mediation of Christ, for he speaks of a surety with
God, without whom he durst not appear before God, nor try his cause
at his bar; for, though his friends' accusations of him were
utterly false, yet he could not justify himself before God but in a
mediator. Our English annotations give this reading of the verse:
"Appoint, I pray thee, my surety with thee, namely, Christ
who is with thee in heaven, and has undertaken to be my surety let
him plead my cause, and stand up for me; and who is he then that
will strike upon my hand?" that is, "Who dares then contend
with me? Who shall lay any thing to my charge if Christ be an
advocate for me?" Rom. viii. 32,
33. Christ is the surety of the better testament
(Heb. vii. 22), a surety of
God's appointing; and, if he undertake for us, we need not fear
what can be done against us.

III. The good use which the righteous
should make of Job's afflictions from God, from his enemies, and
from his friends, v. 8,
9. Observe here,

1. How the saints are described. (1.) They
are upright men, honest and sincere, and that act from a
steady principle, with a single eye. This was Job's own character
(ch. i. 1), and
probably he speaks of such upright men especially as had been his
intimates and associates. (2.) They are the innocent, not
perfectly so, but innocence is what they aim at and press towards.
Sincerity is evangelical innocency, and those that are upright are
said to be innocent from the great transgression, Ps. xix. 13. (3.) They are the
righteous, who walk in the way of righteousness. (4.) They have
clean hands, kept clean from the gross pollutions of sin,
and, when spotted with infirmities, washed with innocency,
Ps. xxvi. 6.

2. How they should be affected with the
account of Job's troubles. Great enquiry, no doubt, would be made
concerning him, and every one would speak of him and his case; and
what use will good people make of it? (1.) It will amaze them:
Upright men shall be astonished at this; they will wonder to
hear that so good a man as Job should be so grievously afflicted in
body, name, and estate, that God should lay his hand so heavily
upon him, and that his friends, who ought to have comforted him,
should add to his grief, that such a remarkable saint should be
such a remarkable sufferer, and so useful a man laid aside in the
midst of his usefulness; what shall we say to these things? Upright
men, though satisfied in general that God is wise and holy in all
he does, yet cannot but be astonished at such dispensations of
Providence, paradoxes which will not be unfolded till the mystery
of God shall be finished. (2.) It will animate them. Instead of
being deterred from and discouraged in the service of God, by the
hard usage which this faithful servant of God met with, they shall
be so much the more emboldened to proceed and persevere in it. That
which was St. Paul's care (1 Thess.
iii. 3) was Job's, that no good man should be moved,
either from his holiness or his comfort, by these afflictions, that
none should, for the sake hereof, think the worse of the ways or
work of God. And that which was St. Paul's comfort was his too,
that the brethren in the Lord would wax confident by his
bonds, Phil. i. 14.
They would hereby be animated, [1.] To oppose sin and to confront
the corrupt and pernicious inferences which evil men would draw
from Job's sufferings, as that God has forsaken the earth, that it
is in vain to serve him, and the like: The innocent shall stir
up himself against the hypocrite, will not bear to hear this
(Rev. ii. 2), but will
withstand him to his face, will stir up himself to search into the
meaning of such providences and study these hard chapters, that he
may read them readily, will stir up himself to maintain religion's
just but injured cause against all its opposers. Note, The boldness
of the attacks which profane people make upon religion should
sharpen the courage and resolution of its friends and advocates. It
is time to stir when proclamation is made in the gate of the camp,
Who is on the Lord's side? When vice is daring it is no time
for virtue, through fear, to hide itself. [2.] To persevere in
religion. The righteous, instead of drawing back, or so much
as starting back, at this frightful spectacle, or standing still to
deliberate whether he should proceed or no (allude to 2 Sam. ii. 23), shall with so
much the more constancy and resolution hold on his way and
press forward. "Though in me he foresees that bonds and afflictions
abide him, yet none of these things shall move him,"
Acts xx. 24. Those who keep
their eye upon heaven as their end will keep their feet in the
paths of religion as their way, whatever difficulties and
discouragements they meet with in it [3.] In order thereunto to
grow in grace. He will not only hold on his way notwithstanding,
but will grow stronger and stronger. By the sight of other
good men's trials, and the experience of his own, he will be made
more vigorous and lively in his duty, more warm and affectionate,
more resolute and undaunted; the worse others are the better he
will be; that which dismays others emboldens him. The blustering
wind makes the traveller gather his cloak the closer about him and
gird it the faster. Those that are truly wise and good will be
continually growing wiser and better. Proficiency in religion is a
good sign of sincerity in it.

10 But as for you all, do ye return, and come
now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.
11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the
thoughts of my heart. 12 They change the night into day: the
light is short because of darkness. 13 If I wait, the
grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
14 I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to
the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. 15 And
where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?
16 They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when
our rest together is in the dust.

Job's friends had pretended to comfort him
with the hopes of his return to a prosperous estate again; now he
here shows,

I. That it was their folly to talk so
(v. 10):
"Return, and come now, be convinced that you are in an
error, and let me persuade you to be of my mind; for I cannot
find one wise man among you, that knows how to explain the
difficulties of God's providence or how to apply the consolations
of his promises." Those do not go wisely about the work of
comforting the afflicted who fetch their comforts from the
possibility of their recovery and enlargement in this world; though
that is not to be despaired of, it is at the best uncertain; and if
it should fail, as perhaps it may, the comfort built upon it will
fail too, and you can find
more about that here on
st-takla.org on other commentaries and
dictionary entries. It is therefore our wisdom to comfort ourselves, and
others, in distress, with that which will not fail, the promise of
God, his love and grace, and a well-grounded hope of eternal
life.

II. That it would he much more his folly to
heed them; for,

1. All his measures were already broken and
he was full of confusion, v. 11, 12. He owns he had, in his
prosperity, often pleased himself both with projects of what he
should do and prospects of what he should enjoy; but now he looked
upon his days as past, or drawing towards a period; all those
purposes were broken off and those expectations dashed. He had had
thoughts about enlarging his border, increasing his stock, and
settling his children, and many pious thoughts, it is likely, of
promoting religion in his country, redressing grievances, reforming
the profane, relieving the poor, and raising funds perhaps for
charitable uses; but he concluded that all these thoughts of his
heart were now at an end, and that he should never have the
satisfaction of seeing his designs effected. Note, The period of
our days will be the period of all our contrivances and hopes for
this world; but, if with full purpose of heart we cleave to the
Lord, death will not break off that purpose. Job, being thus put
upon new counsels, was under a constant uneasiness (v. 12): The thoughts of
his heart being broken, they changed the night into day and
shortened the light. Some, in their vanity and riot, turn night
into day and day into night; but Job did so through trouble and
anguish of spirit, which were a hindrance, (1.) To the repose of
the night, keeping his eyes waking, so that the night was as
wearisome to him as the day, and the tossings of the night tired
him as much as the toils of the day. (2.) To the entertainments of
the day. "The light of the morning is welcome, but, by reason of
this inward darkness, the comfort of it is soon gone, and the day
is to me as dismal as the black and dark night," Deut. xxviii. 67. See what reason we have to
be thankful for the health and ease which enable us to welcome both
the shadows of the evening and the light of the morning.

2. All his expectations from this world
would very shortly be buried in the grave with him; so that it was
a jest for him to think of such mighty things as they had flattered
him with the hopes of, ch. v. 19; viii. 21; xi.
17. "Alas! you do but make a fool of me."

(1.) He saw himself just dropping into the
grave. A convenient house, an easy bed, and agreeable relations,
are some of those things in which we take satisfaction in this
world: Job expected not any of these above ground; all he felt, and
all he had in view, was unpleasing and disagreeable, but under
ground he expected them. [1.] He counted upon no house but the
grave (v. 13): "If
I wait, if there be any place where I shall ever be easy again, it
must be in the grave. I should deceive myself if I should count
upon any out-let from my trouble but what death will give me.
Nothing is so sure as that." Note, In all our prosperity it is good
to keep death in prospect. Whatever we expect, let us be sure to
expect that; for that may prevent other things which we expect, but
nothing will prevent that. But see how he endeavours not only to
reconcile himself to the grave, but to recommend it to himself: "It
is my house." The grave is a house; to the wicked it is a
prison-house (ch. xxiv. 19,
20); to the godly it is Bethabara, a
passage-house in their way home. "It is my house, mine by
descent, I am born to it; it is my father's house. It is mine by
purchase. I have made myself obnoxious to it." We must everyone of
us shortly remove to this house, and it is our wisdom to provide
accordingly; let us think of removing, and send before to our long
home. [2.] He counted upon no quiet bed but in the darkness:
"There," says he, "I have made my bed. It is made, for it is
ready, and I am just going to it." The grave is a bed, for we shall
rest in it in the evening of our day on earth, and rise from it in
the morning of our everlasting day, Isa. lvii. 2. Let this make good people
willing to die; it is but going to bed; they are weary and sleepy,
and it is time that they were in their beds. Why should they not go
willingly, when their father calls? "Nay, I have made my
bed, by preparation for it, have endeavoured to make it easy,
by keeping conscience pure, by seeing Christ lying in this bed, and
so turning it into a bed of spices, and by looking beyond it to the
resurrection." [3.] He counted upon no agreeable relations but what
he had in the grave (v.
14): I have cried to corruption (that is, to the
grave, where the body will corrupt), Thou art my father (for
our bodies were formed out of the earth), and to the worms
there, You are my mother and my sister, to whom I am allied
(for man is a worm) and with whom I must be conversant, for
the worms shall cover us, ch. xxi. 26. Job complained that his
kindred were estranged from him (ch. xix. 13, 14); therefore here he
claims acquaintance with other relations that would cleave to him
when those disowned him. Note, First, We are all of us near
akin to corruption and the worms. Secondly, It is therefore
good to make ourselves familiar with them, by conversing much with
them in our thoughts and meditations, which would very much help us
above the inordinate love of life and fear of death.

(2.) He saw all his hopes from this world
dropping into the grave with him (v. 15, 16): "Seeing I must shortly
leave the world, where is now my hope? How can I expect to
prosper who do not expect to live?" He is not hopeless, but his
hope is not where they would have it be. If in this life
only he had hope, he was of all men most
miserable. "No, as for my hope, that hope which I comfort and
support myself with, who shall see it? It is something out of sight
that I hope for, not things that are seen, that are temporal, but
things not seen, that are eternal." What is his hope he will tell
us (ch. xix. 25),
Non est mortale quod opto, immortale peto—I seek not for that
which perishes, but for that which abides for ever. "But, as
for the hopes you would buoy me up with, they shall go down with me
to the bars of the pit. You are dying men, and cannot make good
your promises. I am a dying man, and cannot enjoy the good you
promise. Since, therefore, our rest will be together in the dust,
let us all lay aside the thoughts of this world and set our hearts
upon another." We must shortly be in the dust, for dust we are,
dust and ashes in the pit, under the bars of the pit, held
fast there, never to loose the bands of death till the general
resurrection. But we shall rest there; we shall rest together
there. Job and his friends could not agree now, but they will both
be quiet in the grave; the dust of that will shortly stop their
mouths and put an end to the controversy. Let the foresight of this
cool the heat of all contenders and moderate the disputers of this
world.